Macher



' (No-llddel.) i

A F.. SGHUMACHBR. CMPRESSED AIR MEGHANISM FOR-VVEHIGLBS 0R OTHER DEVICES. Y

@Nm-601,285. rPatenten Mar. 29, 1898.

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i To @ZZ whom it may SPECIFICATION forming part f 'Letters rafnc'nosm ,12st, natie@ indien Application Apr11`2s,1'a97.

concern,.-

Be 'vit known that I, FERDINAND'SCHU- l' MAOHER, a citizen of the United States, 'and a resident of Naperville, vin thecounty of Du Page and State 'of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Com'-l pressed-Air Mechanism for Yehi'clesor other Devices; and I do hereby d ecla'lir'e that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof;

Myv invention contemplates reduction'A of friction as well asabsorption-of vibration;

and itconsists'in-provision for interposition of a volume of compressed air between a load ration', and

and a rotative carrier,k automatic regulationl ofthe amountof compressed air necessary in sustaining'saidy load ata predetermined elethe general construction andar-y rangementlof' parts herein set forth, all of lwhich is more particularly described with reference tothe accompanying-drawings and Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates anaplplication of my invention, the structural de` tails being shown in side elevation and section. `Fig. 2 represents alsectional viewindi-I cated by 'line 2 2 in the'preceding figure.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents a carrierin the form 'of an axle constituting partk cfa truck or other runninggear, although in some applications offmy in, vention said carrierniay be a rotary'shaft of a, stationary machine.

Each box or chamber constituting a bearing for the carrier haslits upper portion vB hollowed out to form an air-spadedof suitable area over said carrier, and this air-space has communication through a port c with a cylin# drical pot C, in which an air-tight piston D has play. Each bearing may be made airtight by suitably-arranged packing, as lherein shown. The upperendof the piston is prolvided with a central socket for the lower ball end of arod E, and the upper ball end of the rod yengages a depending socket-lug d of a plate' F, made fast to theunderside of a platforni G', the latter, the parts attached-Vthereto,l 1 and weightlorforce thereon constituting, in

this instante? as the .fl oa d.

hat is hereinafter designated As lherein shown, thefcylindrical pot C may constitute a vertical extension ofthe upper that is open jat s o portioni'of the a'fiiesaid tarief-han thereto, is anothercylindi-ical yp fot'H, that provided' at its lower en@ with ir'e liieffvlan@ el and .contain'sjanfairTtight piston I',connect# end connected 'bya valveycouplin lower portjnj ot said second pip@ Praat 'is coupled'tbtht'low ripbfftiio,

the latter being herein showncoup air. For convenience 'of illustration the resefrl platefhitttv 'Smets Y voir Risshownsuspended from the platform' G, and compressed 'air'fromfa suitable pump is supplied to said -reservoir through a pipe R', herein shown 'atfoneen'd of the same; but in some instances there may bejdire'ct'conf nection between'thefconveyer P 'and said Vairpump.

.The valve-levers@ hf are= operated thiefV g' against the resistance lof springs t z arranged as herein shown, and' stops jjv tappets g are also shown arranged to limitT movement of said levers incidental to contraction'ofsaid springs.

, The showing ,herein made serves as a full suit and thereafter returned' to normal 'posi'-y illustration of the several features embodied i tion, it being understood that the other lever h is only operative to control a relief-nozzle l.' of the valve-coupling to which it pertains. The quantity of air admitted to pot C is sufiicient to move the piston D with the load to a desired elevation from the carrier-such, for instance, as the elevation herein shownat which time the pressure of said load is exerted on the volume of compressed air confined between said piston and carrier. This pressure is equalizcd in the hollow portion b of the carrier box or chamber and pot C, providing the areas on opposite faces of the intervening partition m are equal. Hence provision is made for a cushion of compressed air intermediate of the load and its carrier, the latter having a certain proportion of its surface exposed to said air in which it has proportional antii'riction rotation.

The proportion of surface areas on which upward and downward pressures are exerted intermediate of the load and carrier may vary, as the cxigencies forkeeping said carl'ier airtight require more or less surface area in the hollow portion b of the box or chamber incasing said carrier; but such variations are correspondingly detrimental to the antifrictional advantages of the invention in proportion as the dierence in said surface areas increase.

The lower end of the piston I in the pot H is shown hollowed out to obtainagreater vertical air-space below said piston than that under piston D in pot C, and said piston I operates in conjunction with the adjacent confined volume of air and mechanism herein set forth as a governor to control the supply of reserved compressed air necessary to maintain the load at an average predetermined elevation from the carrierin case said load is subjected to variable pressure conditions. 'lhe pot II being connected to the vessel L by the valve-coupling N, the rapidity of air passing from one to the other maybe readilycontrolled, and excess pressure in either may be relieved at anytime by opening the valve e ol' the former. Assuming that the load is graduallyincreased, the downward tendency of piston I will tend to compress the Aair in cylinder Il and vessel L, and the pressure thus obtained will operate upon piston M to move the same in an outward direction, causing its rod-tappet g' to operate valve-lever h and thus establish connection between reservoi r R and pot C to supply an additional quantity of compressed air suiiieient to overcome the increased load and lift the latter to the predetermined average height, it being understood that the pressure of air in said reservoir is at all times greater than that existing in said pot. As the load ascends there is lift of piston I, and the tendency to create a vacuum in vessel L creates a suction on piston M to restore the same to normal position.

l Should the load be lightened and tend to aseend to higher than average predetermined elevation, inward movement of piston M, due

' te ibo cause aforesaid, will result in its rodtappet g operating valve-lever 7L to effect a discharge of the surplus compressed air through the relief-nozzle 7c of thc corresponding valve-coupling. It is also to be understood that the volume of compressed air intermediate of the load and carrier serves to absorb vibration, and thus operates asl a spring. 1f by reason of extraordinary momentary concussion of the load piston D should descend entirely or to very near the bottom of ,pot C, there will be a corresponding compression of the air confined between piston I and bottom of pot Il, and owing to the slow escape of this air through valvecoupling N into vessel L suicient pressure on piston M to cause an operation of tappet g against valve-lever h cannot be obtained during said momentary concussion. Therefore said load will be again elevated to the average predetermined height as soon as the air in pots C I-I has opportunity to again expand.

Any suitable provision may be had for bracing the apparatus herein described, so that the rod E 'and link J will always maintain a vertical position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rotative carrier, its load and provision for an automatically-regulated volu me of compressed air intermediate of the load and carrier, the latter having a certain proportion of its surface exposed to said air in which it has proportional antifrietion rotation.

2. The combination of a rotative carrier, a box or chamber for the carrier having a hollow portion constituting an air-space, a pot having communication with said air-space and also with a source of compressed air, an air-tight piston in the pot, a load exertive on the piston, and mechanism operative to automatically regulate the volume of compressed air opposed to the piston in proportion to variable pressure ot the load.

3. The combination of a rotative carrier, a box or chamber for the carrier having a hollow portion constituting an air-space, a pot having communication with said air-space and also with a source of compressed air, an air-tight piston in the pot, a load exertive on the piston, mechanism operative to automatically regulate the Volume of compressed air opposed to the piston in proportion to variable gradual pressure of the load, and suitable means for rendering momentary load concussion non-effective on the air-rcgulatin g mechanism.

4. The combination of a rotative carrier, a box or chamber for the carrier having its upper portion hollowed out to form an air-space, a vertical pot having communication with said air-space, an air-tight piston in the pot, a load exertive on the piston, another vertical pot provided with a relief-valve and containing an air-tight piston also under direct pressure of the load and having its working face excrtivc on a confined volume of atmos ICO IIO

pheric air, ahorizontal vessel open at one end and having its closed end in valve-coupling with the pot containing atmospheric air, an air-tight piston in the vessel provided with a guide-supported rod, a pair of tappets on the piston-rod, and a conveyor connecting the airspace intermediate of the rst-named piston and carrier With a source of compressed air, a relief mechanism for the conveyor operated in one direction byl one of said tappets, and a cut-off and supply mechanism .of said conveyer operated in one direction by the other of said tappets.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have lhereunto set my hand, at Mayville, in I5 the county of Dodge and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

FERDINAND SCHUMACHER. Witnesses:

WILLIAM KUNZ, FRIEDERICH GETTE. 

